Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the German Shepherd Dog Forums forums, you must first register.
Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

OR

Log-in

User Name

Password

Remember Me?

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Additional Options

Miscellaneous Options

Automatically parse links in text

Automatically embed media (requires automatic parsing of links in text to be on).

Automatically retrieve titles from external links

Topic Review (Newest First)

03-17-2016 05:03 PM

sebrench

I picked "instantly loves everyone" though if there was something between instantly loves everyone and cautious to meet people, I would probably have picked that. Asher didn't get the memo that he is supposed to be aloof, though he is getting somewhat more reserved as he gets older. He is friendly and outgoing in public places, out on walks, at the vets, pet store, obedience classes, ect. He likes to greet people. We've never encountered anyone acting shady or suspicious though. He does bark at strange occurrences outside...like people out on four-wheelers shouting at each other (which is happening on the road outside our house while I type this, haha).

03-17-2016 04:37 PM

Ivanlotter

Mine is still a puppy. Went to Puppy School and Mila immediately started barking/growling at the other pups and her back hair were standing up. So we all held back our puppies until the instructor came around and took the leash and took her to meet all the pups. Then all was fine. She is still to young to react to human strangers, will see in future.

02-21-2016 08:05 PM

MagicHorse

We just got our Shepherd, but he seems to like everyone. He did let out a huge bark the other day when I came home, through the front door. He seems to be just what we've been wanting. Doesn't bark except when he thinks something is "off". We are not sure how he'd be if anyone tried to threaten us, but I imagine he would try to protect us.

02-16-2016 09:22 AM

Birbeck

Loves children
Could care less about other adults unless they're being sketchy

There should be another option--my male GSD stays aloof to strangers, but he doesn't immediately want to bite their head off. He doesn't really fit in any of those three descriptions.

My female, now, opts for the bite their head off. Until I let her see that someone is okay, then she is aloof.

Bijuu used to love every one, but ever since he his the 5 month mark he ignores people. He'll sniff them, but doesn't care to be touched by people he doesn't know. He just acts like they don't exist, he'll glance at them from time to time if we stop and talk. It apparently bothers a lot of 'dog people' in my area, they call him unsocialized and antisocial, lol.

08-29-2014 02:01 AM

DJGinger

She is watchful and later ambivalent. But I think if I displayed any hostility or fear she'd be on them like a badger.

No exact vote category.
I keep my signals careful because she really disapproves of strangers on first exposure. If we are relaxed then she is friendly.

The the reaction is changing as she now settles into her second year; the 'friendly' is becoming 'aloof' towards adults.

She still likes and is attracted towards children. And herds them.

**add: It also depends on location. Around home she is more proactive in defense mode.. travel = day off

08-28-2014 12:35 PM

WateryTart

I couldn't vote.

My girl is a pup, so it's hard to say how things will end up, but as she gets older, she's leaning more toward the parade but not waving (which totally cracks me up). Right now, it's really hit or miss regarding who is an instant BFF and who she refuses to acknowledge, and there is zero correlation between that and the level of interest the stranger has in her.

Unless you are a kid. Then she will love you.

08-28-2014 11:27 AM

Subdolus

Bear appears to want to be everyone's friend, human, dog, cat, or otherwise.

Even when another dog (or person) clearly doesn't like him or is scared of him, he seems to take it as a cue to try extra hard to be friendly and un-obnoxious. It works maybe 90% of the time, and when it doesn't, poor Bear has a nearly perfect 'kicked dog' look over the fact that someone didn't think he was great.

I've found more people automatically assume he's going to bite their face off because of his breed than anything, and more than one older person who is wary of him because of 'bad experiences with police dogs in the 60s and 70s' (thought that was a strange one-off conversation, but I've heard it from about 10 random people we've met on walks in the past few months).

08-27-2014 10:41 PM

DixieGSD

If were out in public, on a walk or whatever Dixie usually ignore's stranger's. If a stranger tries to come onto the property they are met with an unhappy girl. Until my husband or I give her the command to stop than she'll come back and watch the person very intently.

My dogs generally don't care about anyone else/strangers unless I do. But they always accept friendly gestures if given...if not, they pretty much ignore other people.

On my property, they are friendly to anyone invited. And once someone has been invited once, my dogs have always remembered them and been friendly. Frequent fliers get a party of happy GSDs as soon as they walk in.

ditto this with my pack!

This thread has more than 10 replies.
Click here to review the whole thread.